Single-trigger mechanism for breech-loading double-barrel guns.



No. 795,991. PATENTED AUG. 1, 190 5. 0. F. LEFEVER.

SINGLE TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR BRBEGH LOADING DOUBLE BARREL GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 12. 1903 2 SHEETS-SfiIll-ZT 1.

PATENTED AUG. 1,- 1905.

C. F. LEFEVER.

SINGLE TRIGGER MECHANISM FOR BREECH LOADING DOUBLE BARREL GUNS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR.12,1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wmvzsszs UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTCF.

CHARLES F. LEFEVER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK. SINGLE-TRIGGER MECHANISM FORBREECH-LOADING DOUBLE-BARREL GUNS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

Application filed a ch 12, 1903- SBIiELl N0. 1 17,4103.

.To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. LEFEVER, of Syracuse, in the county ofOnondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Single-Trigger Mechanism for Breech -LoadingDouble-Barrel Guns, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to single trigger mechanism for breech-loadingdouble-barrel guns of the class set forth in the application of DanielM. and Charles F. Lefever, filed February 14, 1903, and known as SerialNo lei-3,287.

The distinct object of the invention over that set forth in the pendingapplication referred to is to employ separate sear-tripping pawls,either of which may be set so that the same barrel (either right orleft) may be dis charged first after each break of the gun, the pawlsbeing mounted on the trigger in such manner that their own inertiacoacting with the recoil of the gun when one barrel is fired operates toforce the pawls from their tripping position to prevent the involuntaryfiring of the other barrel.

Further objects will appear in the subsequent description.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively top plan and sideelevation of my improved single-trigger mechanism, the trigger-platebeing shown in dotted lines and the parts being normal and set to firethe left hammer first. Figs. 8, 4, 5, and 6 are views similar to Fig. 2,showing the successive movements of the parts in firing both hammers andthen returning the parts to their normal positions by means of thecocking-lever when the gun is broken, as seen in Fig. 6. Fig. 7 is aface view similar to Fig. 3, showing the righthand hammer as fired firstand the left-hand pawl as partially returned to the tripping positionready to drop in place when the trigger is released. Fig. 8 is asectional view taken on line 8 8, Fig. 5, the hammers being omitted andthe sears shown in top plan. Fig. 9 is a rear end view of the parts seenin Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the detached trigger. Fig.11 is a perspective view of a portion of the cocking-lever, partlybroken away, and the drawbar connected thereto for forcing one or theother of the sear-tripping pawls from its tripping position. Fig. 12 isa perspective view of the device for shifting the position of thedraw-bar seen in Fig. 11 from one pawl to the other. Figs. 13, 14K, and15 are detail views, showing, respectively, one of the pawls, one of thescars, and the detents for holding the pawls in their inoperativeposition.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

The drawings represent portions of adoublebarrel breech-loading gunhaving a triggerplate 1, upon which are mounted a pair of hammers 2,sears 3, mainsprings 4, a trigger 5, and a cocking-lever 6. Thetrigger-plate is secured to the frame of the gun in the usual manner anddiffers from the ordinary plate only in its special adaptation to themechanism hereinafter described.

The hammers 2 are pivotally mounted side by side upon separate pins 7 inthe triggerplate and are formed with forwardly-projecting arms 8, whichoverhang and are adapted to be engaged by lugs 9 on the cocking-lever 6,whereby as the lever is rocked by the breaking of the gun the hammersare cooked. The sears 3 are also mounted on separate pivotal pins 10 inthe trigger-plate at the rear of the pins 7 and serve to hold thehammers in their cocked positions, the rear ends of the scars beingformed with lateral shoulders 11, adapted to be engaged by portions ofthe pawls, whereby the sears are tripped in a manner presentlydescribed.

The mainsprings L are suitably seated in the trigger-plate and performtheir usual functions of operating the released hammers and forcing thesears into holding engagement with the hammers when cooked, the upperleaves of the springs being connected to the heels of the hammers bylinks 12.

The trigger 5 is inserted upwardly through a suitable slot in thetrigger-plate and is pivoted at its forward upper end to said plate, sothat its rear end may be rocked vertically by means of a finger-piece14: against the action of a suitable spring 15, which is also secured tothe trigger-plate. This trigger is slotted vertically at 16 andhorizontally at 17 to receive and permit the free action of a suitabledraw-bar 18, which is attached to the cookinglever 6, said trigger beingalso slotted at 19 to receive the closed end of the bifurcatedspringbar, the arms 20 of which engage the seartripping pawls to movethem to their tripping position.

The cocking-lever 6 is pivoted at 21 to the trigger-plate and swingsforwardly and upwardly between the hammers, being provided with lateralshoulders 9, which underlie the arms 8, so that as the front end of thelever is raised in the act of breaking the gun the hammers are cockedand held by the scars 3.

A pair of upright sear-tripping pawls 24 are pivoted at their lower endsat 25 to opposite faces of the trigger 5 at points beneath the shoulders11 of the sears, while their upper ends extend a considerable distanceabove said shoulders to form what may be termed weighted pawls, theinertia of which, together with the recoil of the gun when one of thebarrels is fired, serves to automatically throw the pawls from theirtripping position against the action of the springs 20 and to preventthe involuntary firing of the other barrel. It is thus evident that thepawls 24 not only move with the trigger, but also have an independentrocking movement on their pivots to and from their tripping positionsand are provided. with lateral shoulders 26, one of which normallyunderlies its shoulders 11 of the corresponding sear when the trigger isin its normal position, so that when the trigger is pulled thecorresponding hammer will be fired. Each of the pawls is provided with adetent 27, which consists of a spring-arm, secured to the trigger-plateand formed with a tooth projecting through the trigger-opening in theplate and into the path of a similar tooth on the lower end face of itspawl,whereby when the trigger is normal and the upper ends of the pawlsare forced forwardly from any cause the detents automatically interlockwith the pawls to hold them from moving to the tripping position untilthe trigger is pulled and again released.

The shoulders 11 and 26 of the sears and pawls, respectively, arearranged in such relation that when the trigger is pulled to release thepawls from their detents 27 and the springs 20 rock the upper ends ofthe pawls rearwardly the shoulders 26 will be elevated, so that theirrear faces (which are usually flat) will abut against the front faces ofthe shoulders 11 and prevent the shoulders 26 from riding under theshoulders 11 (see Fig. 7) until the pull on the trigger is released andit returns to its normal position, at which time the pawls are in theposition to trip the sears when the trigger is again pulled, it beingunderstood that when both hammers are cocked one of the pawls is drawnforward from its tripping position by the draw-bar 18. It is thisstructure and arrangement which prevents the doubling or involuntaryfiring of the second barrel, owing to the fact that the instant therecoil takes place the pawls are both thrown away from their trippingpositions, and even if the trigger was involuntarily pulled at or aboutthis instant the shoulders 26 will simply abut against the searshoulders11 and will not ride under them until the trigger is released andreturns to its normal position. These latter movements require aconsiderable period of time as cornpared with the involuntary movementof the finger or recoil of the gun and not only affords ample time torecover control of the finger, but it is actually necessary to releasethe pull on the trigger and to then pull it again before the secondbarrel can be fired.

The means for determining which hammer shall be fired first after eachbreak of the gun consists of the draw-bar 18 and a manuallyoperatedshifting member 30, the drawbar being here shown as a spring-arm havingits front end inserted in the slot in the cookinglever, Figs. 8 and 11,and pivoted thereto by a pin 31, and its rear end rides in the verticalslot in the triggerand is provided with oppositely-projecting shoulders32, movable into and out of registration with the rear upright faces oftheir respective pawls 24. The free end of this spring carrying theshoulders 32 is normally tensioned to spring laterally-in this instanceto the left-to automatically register the left shoulder 32 with the leftpawl 2a, so that when the lever 6 is cocked by the breaking of the gunthe draw-bar 18 is drawn forwardly and forces the left pawl from itstripping position and into holding engagement with its detent 27, whilethe other pawl remains in its tripping position with its shoulder 26under the corresponding sear-shoulder 11.

The member 30 preferably consists of a rock-spindle journaled in anupright position in the rear end of the trigger and having its upper endprovided with an eccentric stud 35, which bears against the left-handface of the spring-arm 18, while its lower end is pro vided with anexposed handpiece 36, hearing the indicating-letters R. L. on itsopposite faces, so that the operator may ascertain which barrel willfire first.

When the left barrel is to be fired first,the operator rocks theeccentric until L. appears at the left on the handpiece 36, as seen inFigs. 2 to 6, which operation forces the rear end of the arm 18 to theright, with the right shoulder 32 registered with its pawl and the leftshoulder 32 out of'alinement with its pawl. Now when the gun is brokenthe right pawl will be drawn forwardly from its tripping position andthe left pawl will remain in position to trip its sear when the triggeris pulled. In like manner the member 30 may be shifted a half-turn topermit the rear end of the draw-bar 18 to shift laterally, so that theleft shoulder 32 is in position to draw its pawl from the trippingposition when the gun is broken, in which instance the right barrel willbe fired first after each break of the gun, the trigger and handpiece 30being provided with suitable stops to limit the rocking movement of theeccentric to substantially a half-turn.

Each of the hammers is provided with a cam-face 37, extending forwardlyfrom its sear-engaging tooth, whereby when the hammer is fired thecam-face engages and depresses the front end of the sear and holds itsrear end up, so that when the pawls are elevated by the trigger to tripthe sear of the other hammer, not fired, the shoulder on the sear of thefired hammer will not interfere with the movement of the correspondingpawl.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,

1. The combination with the hammers, mainsprings and scars of adoublebarrel breech-loading gun, a trigger, separate pawls operativelyconnecting the trigger to the sears to trip the latter when the triggeris pulled, and means actuated by the break of the gun to break theoperative connection between one of the pawls and its sear irrespectiveof the other pawl.

2. In combination with the hammers, mainsprings and sears of adouble-barrel breechloading gun, a trigger, separate pawls operativelyconnecting the trigger to the sears to trip the latter when the triggeris pulled, a cocking-lever, and means actuated by the 1ever when movingto its cocking position to break the operative connection between one ofthe pawls and its sear irrespective of the other pawl.

3. In combination with the hammers, main-- springs and sears of adouble-barrel breechloading gun, a trigger, separate pawls operativelyconnecting the trigger to the sears to trip the latter when the triggeris pulled, a cookinglever, movable means operatively connected to thelever for breaking the connection between either of the pawls and itssear irrespective of the other pawl, and a manually-operated memberconnected to shift said means from one position to the other.

4. In combination with thehammers, mainsprings and sears of adouble-barrel breechloading gun, a single trigger, separate seartrippingpawls actuated by the trigger, automatic means for forcing one of thepawls from its tripping position when the gun is broken, and a detentfor holding the latter pawl in its inoperative position.

5. In combination with the hammers, mainsprings and sears of adouble-barrel breechloading gun, a single trigger, separate seartrippingpawls actuated by the trigger, automatic means for forcing one of thepawls from its tripping position when the gun is broken, a detent forholding the latter pawl in its inoperative position, the operation ofthe trigger acting to release the latter pawl from its detent, and aspring for returning said latter pawl to its tripping position.

6. In combination with the hammers, mainsprings and sears of adouble-barrel breechloading gun, a single trigger, separate seartrippingpawls on the trigger and having independent movement to and from theirtripping positions, detents for holding the pawls from their trippingpositions, means for automatically forcing the pawls to'their trippingpositions, said pawls being released from their detents by the movementof the trigger, and automatic means for forcing one of the pawls to itsinoperative position when the gun is broken.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this ath day of March,1903.

CHARLES F. LEFEVER.

WVitnesses:

H. E. CHASE, HOWARD P. DnNIsoN.

